The night felt different, colder, as Kenta sat on his bed, his phone glowing in the dim light of his apartment. His mind raced with anticipation and doubt. Riku had told him that tonight, the first blow would fall on Mayu. Part of him was eager to see it happen—to watch her world unravel as his had. But another part of him couldn't shake the feeling that he was standing at the edge of a cliff, about to leap into something he wouldn't be able to escape.
Just after midnight, his phone buzzed. A notification popped up—a message from Riku.
"It's done. Check her social media."
Kenta hesitated, his thumb hovering over the app. His heart pounded as he opened it, scrolling through Mayu's latest post. It was the same picture Riku had shown him earlier—the one of her and Takeshi at the restaurant. But now, something had changed.
Comments flooded beneath the post, and they weren't the usual fawning compliments Mayu was used to.
"Weren't you with Kenta around this time? Strange how you moved on so fast."
"Wow, cheating on your fiancé with his best friend? That's low."
"Look closely at the reflection in the window—she's been seeing Takeshi for months."
The accusations kept coming, each one cutting deeper than the last. Kenta's heart raced as he scrolled, feeling a strange mix of satisfaction and dread. It was happening. Riku's plan was working.
Mayu had already responded, trying to defend herself.
"These rumors aren't true! Please stop spreading lies!"
But her words only seemed to fan the flames. More people joined in, questioning her loyalty, her integrity. The carefully curated image of perfection she had built was crumbling, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Kenta could almost hear the desperation in her voice through the screen, and for a moment, he felt a twinge of something—pity, maybe? But he shook it off. She deserved this. She had betrayed him, torn his life apart, and now she was paying the price.
His phone buzzed again. Another message from Riku.
"Her account is locked. She's panicking. Next step begins tomorrow."
Kenta stared at the message, his thoughts swirling. He had thought seeing Mayu suffer would make him feel better, but instead, it left him with an empty ache in his chest. It wasn't enough. Not yet.
Mayu's apartment was eerily quiet, the only sound the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. She sat at her kitchen table, her phone in front of her, the screen dark. Her heart was pounding, and her mind raced with confusion and anger.
What had started as a normal night—just another photo with Takeshi, another post about how happy she was—had turned into a nightmare. The comments, the accusations... how had it spread so fast?
She had deleted the post, locked her account, but the damage was done. Her inbox was flooded with messages from friends, acquaintances, even strangers, all asking the same thing: Did you cheat on Kenta?
Her hands trembled as she picked up her phone again, dialing Takeshi's number. He picked up after a few rings, his voice calm and groggy from sleep.
"Mayu? What's going on? It's late."
"Takeshi, something's wrong. People are saying things—horrible things about us. They're accusing me of cheating on Kenta, and now it's all over my social media!"
There was a pause on the other end, and when Takeshi spoke again, his voice had lost its drowsiness, replaced by tension.
"What are you talking about? Who's accusing you?"
"I don't know! People are leaving comments, saying they can see you in the background of my old posts, like we've been together for longer than we have. They're calling me a cheater, Takeshi!"
Another long silence. Mayu could hear the faint sound of Takeshi moving around, probably pacing his apartment. His voice came back, sharp and controlled.
"Don't worry about it. People like to stir up drama. This'll blow over."
"But what if it doesn't?" Mayu's voice wavered, panic seeping in. "What if people keep saying these things? It's ruining everything!"
Takeshi sighed. "Look, just stay off social media for a while. Let it die down. We'll get through this. It's just a bunch of nobodies talking."
Mayu bit her lip, trying to calm herself. Takeshi always seemed so composed, so sure of himself. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was just a storm that would pass.
But as she hung up, she couldn't shake the feeling of dread settling in her stomach.
The next day, Kenta walked through the crowded streets of Tokyo, his mind still buzzing from the events of the night before. He had barely slept, torn between satisfaction and unease. He had wanted revenge—he needed it—but now that it was happening, something didn't feel right.
As he made his way to the park where he was supposed to meet Riku, he couldn't stop thinking about Mayu's panicked response. He had imagined her reaction a thousand times, but the reality of it was different. More hollow.
When he arrived at the park, Riku was already there, leaning against a tree, as calm and composed as ever. His dark eyes flicked toward Kenta as he approached.
"You saw the fallout, I assume," Riku said, his voice as measured as always.
Kenta nodded, feeling a knot tightening in his chest. "Yeah, I saw it. She locked her account. She's freaking out."
"Good," Riku replied. "It means she's feeling the pressure. It's only going to get worse from here."
Kenta looked down, his hands in his pockets. "What's the next step?"
Riku studied him for a moment, sensing the hesitation in Kenta's voice. "Next, we target Takeshi. His professional life is already teetering on the edge. Today, we're going to give it a little push."
Kenta looked up, confused. "How?"
Riku's lips curved into a cold smile. "I've already planted some information with a few of Takeshi's colleagues. They think he's involved in shady business practices—insider trading, mismanagement. His boss is already suspicious. We're going to add fuel to that fire."
Kenta's heart raced, a mixture of excitement and fear. "What do you need me to do?"
Riku's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "You're going to leak a document to his firm. An anonymous tip. It'll be subtle, but enough to make them investigate further. Once that happens, his entire career will start to unravel."
Kenta swallowed hard. This was it—the moment when Takeshi's life would start to fall apart, just like his had. But as Riku handed him the envelope with the forged documents, a thought nagged at the back of his mind.
"How do you know this will work?" Kenta asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Riku's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing. "Because I've done this before."
Kenta froze, staring at Riku. "Before? You mean...?"
Riku looked away, his face unreadable. "You're not the first person I've helped, Kenta. People come to me for justice because the world doesn't give it to them. I make sure the scales are balanced."
Kenta felt a chill run down his spine. He had always sensed there was something more to Riku, something darker. But now, standing here, about to ruin Takeshi's life, he wondered just how deep that darkness went.
"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Kenta asked, his voice faltering.
Riku's eyes hardened. "That's not the question you should be asking, Kenta. The question is: are you ready to live with the consequences of your choice?"
Kenta stared at the envelope in his hands, his mind spinning. This was what he had wanted—revenge, justice. But at what cost?
Before he could answer, Riku turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd, leaving Kenta alone with his decision.
End of Chapter 4